"Imagination Is More Important Than Knowledge"

21 March 2014

Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. This is a week when Drama is at the forefront as one of the many things that the school does excellently.

This is a week when Drama is at the forefront as one of the many things that the school does excellently. Not only have we had the school production of The Crucible, but today we had Mark Hill a physical theatre specialist doing workshops for our drama students in all areas of secondary school. It is important to remind you therefore, why Drama is in our curriculum and why it is so useful to our students’ development. All our students in Key Stage 3 take drama lessons and there is the option of Drama at IGCSE and Theatre Studies at IB. Students can also perform and act in Media and Film studies courses as they head up the school into exam classes.

Even if a student does not opt to take drama beyond Year 9 there are still plenty of chances for role play and empathy in English, the humanities subjects and languages so that they can sharpen their individual creative and dramatic skills. The school production is the annual pinnacle of achievement for our students who love to act. When they are treading the boards in the auditorium drama helps them hone the key high performance attributes of confidence, concentration, collaboration, discipline and communication which are important in all areas of school and life.

Drama and performance require participants to have an emotional empathy with characters and situations which help students develop understanding, compassion and tolerance for others. The ability to use your imagination and communicate your vision in collaboration with others is the essence of an ensemble production and interesting challenge to take on. Underlying all of this is the sheer hard work it takes to prepare and learn lines and produce a polished product over 5 nights (and still go to school) is a task not even professional actors have this pressure to do.

I hope that anyone who has taken the time to come and see The Crucible this week (or watch any of our recent media studies or film and drama productions) will have enjoyed the experience. When you see Drama on the curriculum it is worthwhile remembering how it is developing the confident, creative and well-rounded individuals that we desire all our children and adults to be.

A strong Drama production and department is the sign of a healthy school with high standards and expectations. Parents, teachers and students can all be very proud of the outcomes that result from our drama and performance programme and its positive impact on all areas of the school.